At the base of Mount Sopris, a few miles south of Carbondale where Thompson Creek and the Crystal River merge, sits land my family has stewarded since my great-great grandfather, Myron Thompson, homesteaded it in the late 19th century.

For five generations, my family has farmed and ranched our property, which lies within the 221,000 acres of pristine public land that bears my family’s name: the Thompson Divide. We’ve raised cattle and sheep, grown potatoes and baled hay, earning an honest living rooted in hard work and a deep appreciation for the land.

That’s what my great-great grandfather wanted for our ranch. As a homesteader, he valued self-sufficiency and sustainability. A living had to be earned and the same holds true today for any ranch to remain viable.

That same spirit lives on in the work my wife Jayme and I do every day. We raise Black Angus cattle in the Thompson Divide area, and we’ve cultivated an acre of food-producing garden space that feeds several families. This work is our passion. It is our livelihood, and it is tied to the viability of our land.

But it’s not just us. Countless others — ranchers, outfitters, and small-business owners — depend on the Thompson Divide for their livelihood. In all, ranching, hunting, angling, and recreation activities in this rural area support and sustain nearly 300 jobs and $30 million a year in economic output for the local economy. That’s no small sum.

We all have a lot to gain from keeping the Thompson Divide the way it is: beautiful, pristine, protected. We also have a lot to lose if that changes.

Change could come quickly if Houston-based oil and gas companies get their way. They’re looking to drill on dozens of leases in the Thompson Divide that have sat idle for the better part of 10 years, leases that were about to expire before an extension was granted by the Bureau of Land Management.

A lot of people have a stake in keeping the Thompson Divide the way it is. From mountain bikers and snowmobile riders to ranchers and sportsmen, our communities have formed an unlikely coalition united behind an important goal: protecting the Thompson Divide for the long term.

It’s not that oil and gas drilling shouldn’t happen anywhere. It’s that oil and gas development shouldn’t happen everywhere. Certain places are inappropriate for development, and the Thompson Divide is one of those places.

Too many livelihoods are at stake. The farmers, ranchers, outfitters and small-business owners who form the bedrock of our local economy depend on a healthy, vibrant Thompson Divide. We create jobs and pay taxes. We produce food and provide services that people rely on and enjoy.

When we thrive, the whole community thrives. Our fortunes are tied. Our futures are linked. Developing the Thompson Divide for short-term gain puts the viability of our valley at risk and threatens not only a way of life but the livelihoods and land it supports as well.

The BLM missed an opportunity to do the right thing by letting leases in the Thompson Divide expire, but there’s still hope. Sen. Michael Bennet has a bill in Congress that clears the way for a compromise solution that protects the Thompson Divide and preserves private property rights. It deserves a vote, and it ought to be passed and signed into law.

This isn’t simply about the environment or protection for protection’s sake. It’s about preserving a legacy of responsible stewardship, self-sufficiency and agricultural heritage that began with my great-great grandfather, Myron Thompson — a legacy I hope my two children, the sixth generation to steward this land, will carry on.

Jason Sewell is a fifth-generation rancher in the Crystal River Valley.

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